Male Cyclists Leg Shaving Advice.?

Question

Ok, ive been biking for about a year now. Its an amazing sport. I recently had a big fall. Luckily I didn't break anything but I did scrape up my knee quite a bit.
A friend told me its my time to start shaving my legs. As soon as i looked into this all sorts of stuff came up!
So my question is:
What is the best method of shaving. Some options ive herd of are:
-Nair/Mens Nair
-Standard razor
-Using women's razors
-Waxing (ouch)
-Or using spacial electric shavers.

So what should I do?

Answer 1

Unlike Shawn, I am still a man no matter how much body hair I remove. It must suck to be afraid of what people think of you all the time; I haven't had that feeling since middle school!

I've heard that Veet works, but in my experience chemicals can irritate sensitive skin, especially for a first-time shaver.

Use some electric trimmers to get the hair cut as short as possible first. Otherwise, you'll just clog the razor, cut your skin, and take two hours to do it. I just shave mine in the shower, and it only takes an extra 5-10 minutes.

Once you're down to stubble, lather up well with a good shaving cream. I like Edge gel, but it's really personal preference. If your ankles are not hairy don't shave them! This is one of the most often cut places, right along with knees.

Start low and use long, even strokes. Don't push, let the razor do it's job, and rinse it out every so often. Once you get to your knees, kep your leg STRAIGHT and go slow. I know it's weird to have a razor behind your knee, but skin shaves best when it's pulled tight.

Go as high as you like; nobody cares, really. When you think you're done, go back over your legs with a hand to see if you missed any spots. Once you feel them, touch them up with the razor before rinsing off.

When you're done, USE LOTION on your legs to help prevent ingrown hairs (they suck!), and marvel at how cold you are. You will also feel EVERY FIBER in your pants for a while until you get used to it.

If you don't like it, let the hair grow back; simple! But don't be afraid to try it at leat once, and don't listen to punks like shawn who live at Aeropostale and will do anything to not be seen as "queer" by his friends.

Answer 2

Wow, what crappy answers so far! Ha. Fastest and best results are by shaving! If the hair is long, use some electric clippers if you have them to clip first, then shave. Thereafter, shave about once a week. Ask your girlfriend how often (dual meaning here--she knows cause she shaves and she knows cause stubble is not sexy). Use good shaving cream. I like classic Barbasol. Use good multiblade disposable razors and discard after 3-5 shaves. Technique is important. Take two strokes, then either rinse, or push the razor backwards on clean, shaved skin to knock the hairs out. Can take many strokes to get a spot fully shaved, unless you are religious about it. It is not nearly as hard as shaving your face! It is part fashion, part practical (makes injuries much easier and less painful to treat), and is just plain cool looking. Be sure to shave up higher than your bike shorts if you ever go to the beach and wear something shorter than your bike shorts! Oh, I have tried the Intuition razor which has a solid block of shaving lubricant on it... works pretty well and easy and fast. Try it. I see no difference between women's and men's razors by the way. I shave my face with a good electric every day, but they don't do the job on the legs so I use a blade.

Answer 3

First, ignore Shawn's answer. Shaving your legs doesn't mean you're queer. That's just dumb. Also, your cuts won't necessarily heal faster because you shave your legs. I've been shaving my legs for years now. I use Gillette Sensor Excel blades. I don't shave every day, maybe once or twice a week tops (but I'm too hirsute for my tastes). Oftentimes, when I haven't shaved for a while, I will first trim all the hairs on my legs with a Conair beard trimmer. I use the same shave gel that I use for head my face (yes, I shave my head too). Then I lather up in the shower and shave my legs with the razor, that way I can rinse the blade thoroughly and often. You'll suffer less redness and irritation if you "wet-shave," meaning you use lots of warm water. I usually shave my lower legs first, going against the grain (this works as long as your wet-shaving, but you may want to go with the grain first and then against on subsequent passes), then my upper legs with the grain. Shaving my legs give me an excuse to take a extra-long hot showers, which I find very relaxing. It's important that you use a sharp, clean razors every time. Don't use ones that you've shaved your face with all week! I've never tried women's razors, but I heard tell they're better. I don't know and I don't care. My razor works fine and I rarely cut myself. I've tried the depilatory creams before but I won't use them again because they burned like fire. Ouch! Also, some contain ingredients not meant for use by men. Beware! Again, don't listen to people who claim it's effeminate for men to shave their legs. I shave my legs because I prefer the aesthetic of my clean-shaven, well-muscled legs and most women I know also appreciate this look on me (I'm guessing your woman will too), but whether other people approve or not is truly immaterial to me. I also believe that I derive some measure, however slight, of aerodynamic improvement. This is probably infinitesimal, but if it makes me a better rider then so be it. Whatever your reason for deciding to shave you legs, it's your decision, but don't be cowed into not doing it because some poseur thinks it will make you gay. How stupid!

Answer 4

im also 15 but dont shave my legs for cycling. i dont find it very useful unless your crashing a lot eg when cycling in races or runs with 100 people all taking off at once. if people ask why you shave them just tell them the truth. i dont think they will really care. the other thing is that i dont think that a lot of people are going to be looking at your legs at all. if it were up to me i would go for it if you feel the need. hope this helps josh, ireland

Answer 5

Why would you shave your legs? Yes the pros shave their legs so when they crash they can get cleaned up quicker and avoid getting hair tied up in stitches. It doesn't make you faster that's just a myth. If you want to shave I would ask your girlfriend for advice. She's been doing it longer and knows some of the pitfalls to avoid. After three years of riding I haven't had the need to shave but then again it's a personal preference.

Answer 6

Standard razor shaving is the best way to go. I have been road cycling for over twenty years and have been shaving my legs for almost that long, so have at it!

Answer 7

There's nothing wrong with a guy shaving his legs. I find it odd that shaving is ok if you are a swimmer or a cyclists. Being hairy is only a temporary thing, and thanks to Gillette, Schick and Nair, going smooth is relatively easy.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Don't shave your legs unless you're going pro- only biking for a year and shaving your legs makes you look like a poseur. Also-- shaved legs only look good on dudes if you have really cut legs and less than 4% body fat.

Answer 9

use Veet lotion. It's like Nair, but it doesn't burn. I swear by it.